Kai's Memories
by tifafenrir09
Summary: The sequel of The New Warriors, Kai and the team are searching for their lost friends, when they arrive at the mysterious Castle Oblivion. Will they find their friends?
1. Welcome To Castle Oblivion

CHAPTER 1: Welcome to Castle Oblivion

Kai looked up and saw Pluto. He ran off. Kai and his friends, Max, Ray, Donald and Goofy started to run after him. The five were looking for two people important to them: King Mickey, and Tyson, a teammate of Kai, Ray and Max.

That night, Kai sat up. He glanced at the others, who were still asleep. Kai smiled and sat up. He walked to a road, and looked up at the sky, thinking of the people he'd lost after the fight with Ansem. "Ahead, lies something you need..." a voice suddenly called. Kai turned. He looked around, and turned back to see a man in a black coat with a hood standing before him. "...But, in order to claim it, you must lose something dear." he added. He vanished.

* * *

At the same time, someone was drawing. They put the pad on the table. It was a drawing of a castle.

* * *

Kai and the others soon arrived at a castle. They looked at it. Kai walked towards it. He pushed the door open. They went inside. "Looks like no one's home." Kai blinked.

"Do you think we should really be barging in like this?" Goofy asked.

"We have to, if we'll find the King!" Donald replied.

"King Mickey's here?" Goofy exclaimed.

"I just had a feeling, that's all." Donald replied.

"Now that ya mention it, I was thinking the same thing!" Goofy blinked.

"Are you serious? We were too!" Max cried.

"Yeah, one look at this place, and we knew...Tyson and the King are here." Ray nodded.

"Looks like great minds, think alike." Goofy chuckled. "This can't be a mere coincidence!" Jiminy Cricket exclaimed, jumping out of Kai's belt.

"Don't tell me..." Max groaned.

"I thought it too!" Jiminy announced.

"Looks like it's contagious!" Goofy cried.

"No, something fishy's going on! We have to check it out!" Donald protested.

"Donald's right." Kai nodded. He walked off.

"Kai, where're you going?" Max called.

"I'm gonna check this place out! What's the matter? Scared?" he grinned.

"N-No! Let's go, Ray!" Max protested.

"Yeah, but shouldn't we shut the door first?" Ray began. He turned. "Kai!" he yelped. A man had appeared.

"Who are you?" Kai demanded, as they drew their weapons.

"It's a Heartless! I'll try magic!" Donald replied. "THUNDER!" he yelled. But nothing happened. "That's weird...THUNDER! THUNDER!" he yelled. "BLIZZARD! Fire?" he yelled. Nothing happened. "Why isn't it working?" he moaned.

"Isn't it obvious? The moment you stepped into this castle, you forgot all spells and abilities you knew. In here, to find is to lose and to lose is to find." the figure explained. "That is the way of life in Castle Oblivion." he added.

"Castle Oblivion?" Kai blinked. The figure vanished, and reappeared behind them. "Here you'll meet people you know. People you miss." he continued.

"Look, there's nobody..." Max began.

"Hey, do you mean Tyson? He really IS here!" Kai realised.

"Do you wish to find him? If you do..." the man began. He dashed past them. The startled team looked around. He appeared at a door.

"What did you do to us?" Ray demanded.

"I took a sample of your memories. And I created this from them." he replied. "This will help you reunite with your friends." he announced. He tossed a card to them.

"Is this...a card?" Kai blinked.

"It is a promise. Hold it before you and press on. Use it to see your friends." he replied.

Kai stood before the door. "Like this?" he asked.

"Correct. Now, go Blade Breakers. To lose and claim anew, or claim only to lose." the man nodded, before vanishing.

Kai nodded. "Let's go, guys." he sighed.


	2. Return To Traverse Town

CHAPTER 2: Return To Traverse Town

Kai, Ray and Max ran in. They stopped. "Wait a second. We're in Traverse Town!" Kai exclaimed.

The man appeared. "This is not the real Traverse Town that you are seeing. It is an illusion, conceived from your memories in that card you hold." he explained.

"From our...memories?" Max blinked.

"Don't worry about that! We're two heads short!" Jiminy yelled.

The team looked around. Donald and Goofy were missing. "Donald! Goofy! Where are you?" Kai called.

"What did you do to them?" Ray demanded.

"They are now at the mercy of the cards. Master the cards, and you will once again have their strength." the man replied.

* * *

After a lesson from the man, Donald and Goofy reappeared. "Are you two alright?" Kai asked.

"Where've you been?" Ray demanded.

"Hey, you tell us! When you opened the door, we saw a weird light, and then, nothing..." Donald replied.

"Well, try to remember. I need to keep my journal updated." Jiminy replied.

"Where'd ya get the new duds, Donald?" Goofy asked suddenly.

"And you too, Goofy! Someone's changed our clothes!" Donald exclaimed.

"Let me guess, the cards?" Max sighed.

"That is for you to answer. Master the cards and make your way through the castle. From now, you three are on your own." the man replied.

"We can't go with them? That ain't fair!" Goofy blinked.

"Yeah! They can't do anything without us!" Donald added.

"Thanks a bunch, Donald!" Kai sulked.

"You sure you three will be okay?" Goofy asked.

"Of course we'll be!" Max nodded.

"You want just us three to go? Fine, we can take care of ourselves." Ray announced to the man.

"The heroes speak boldly. Then go. The rest of Castle Oblivion awaits you." he replied, sounding amused. "Walk the paths of memory, and you meet someone dear to you." he added, and vanished.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Jiminy sighed.

"Don't worry, Jiminy. We're ready for any tricks he's probably got up his sleeves." Max grinned.

"Yeah, how hard can it be to just use some cards?" Ray agreed.

"All we have to do is just use one in front of that door there." Kai announced, glancing at a nearby doorway. He walked forwards and used a card. Their journey had only just begun.


	3. The Team Forgotten?

CHAPTER 3: The Team Forgotten?

Kai, Ray and Max soon stopped. "Looks like it just the three of us fighting's a lot harder than I thought." Max sighed.

Suddenly two cards appeared and changed into Donald and Goofy. "Waah! Don't scare us like that!" Kai cried, jumping in alarm.

"Hey, don't blame us! We don't know what's happening either!" Donald protested.

"Gawrsh, your fighting's a little rusty. You sure you don't need our help?" Goofy asked.

"We're fine, honestly!" Ray beamed.

"Keep thinking like that, and you're as good as Heartless fodder." a familiar voice replied. They turned to see a man walking towards them.

"Leon?! What're you doing in Castle Oblivion?" Max blinked.

"Castle Oblivion? What do you mean? This is Traverse Town." Leon replied. "And how do you know my name?" he demanded.

Kai looked alarmed. "I've never met any of you before." Leon announced.

"Come on, Leon, quit playing around! We fought the Heartless together! You know that!" Ray yelled.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even know your names." he replied.

"You don't?" Goofy asked sadly.

"Sorry." Leon sighed.

"I don't believe this. How could you forget us?" Kai groaned.

"Look, I feel for you. But you got the wrong guy. It happens all the time. Don't take it personally, Kai." Leon shrugged.

"You **do** know our names!" Donald gasped.

"Hold on! How do I know your name?" Leon exclaimed.

Goofy and Donald turned away. "Think Leon's joking?" Goofy whispered.

"If he is, it's not funny. Kai, Ray and Max are really upset." Donald hissed back.

"Who's joking, Goofy? You and Donald are the ones who..." Leon began.

"Hey!" Goofy cried.

"I don't get it...What's wrong with my memory?" Leon whispered.

"Dunno, Leon. Maybe Aerith really was onto something." another voice piped up. A girl appeared. "She said she sensed some strange power and told us to check it out. Well, we checked. And this is as strange as it gets." she explained. "Maybe we should bring Kai and the others to Aerith." she suggested.

"Yuffie! You know my name too!" Kai exclaimed.

"Yep! And it looks like you know mine!" she grinned.

"Friend of yours?" Leon asked.

"Nope. A total stranger. But I **do** know his name." Yuffie replied. "Strange, but convenient! We can skip the intros!" she beamed.

"Well, Yuffie, it looks like our problems are solved." Leon replied.

"I'll go and fill Aerith in with the info. You can give Kai and co the grand tour." Yuffie announced, and walked off.

"We'd better get going. Come on. Be careful. There's Heartless wandering around. Looks like I need to teach you to defend yourself in battle." Leon announced.

* * *

After a lesson, Leon folded his arms. "Think you've got it, Kai?" he asked.

"Yeah, pretty much. We'll get the hang of it once we're in some real battles." Kai nodded.

"I found this lying around. Take it." Leon began. He tossed a card to Kai. "Remember what you learnt and use it well." he added. It contained the power of a summon the team had once used, Simba.


	4. The Myth Of The Bell

CHAPTER 4: The Myth of the Bell

They soon came to where Aerith was. "Don't tell me you've forgotten us too, Aerith." Ray began.

"I'm not sure if I should say "Nice to meet you." or "Good to see you again." It feels like both." Aerith replied. "I may not recognise you, but I still feel like you belong here." she added, smiling.

"Yeah! Like we've never even met, but it's not weird knowing your name!" Yuffie agreed.

"But we're telling you the truth! We **have** met! We fought the Heartless together! We worked as a team!" Max protested.

"You might be right. But I don't remember..." Leon replied.

"Then maybe you don't remember what you said when I closed the Keyhole in Hollow Bastion; _"We may never meet again..."_" Kai began.

"_...but we'll never forget each other._"Leon immediately finished.

"You **do** remember!" Max exclaimed.

"He's right. I remember you saying it too!" Yuffie gasped.

"I can't write it off as just a coincidence then." Leon shrugged.

"I don't think I can recall it...but I still remember it. Maybe Kai, Ray and Max's hearts are doing the remembering for us." Aerith smiled.

"And how does **that** work?" Ray blinked.

"We don't remember you at all Ray, but your hearts are full of memories of us being together. Those memories must be in our hearts too. They're probably telling us things we wouldn't know otherwise." she explained.

"You're saying their memories are affecting ours?" Leon asked.

"Their memories do seem to have some sort of power." Aerith replied.

"Like that guy said. This town's just an illusion created from our memories." Kai realised.

"And there's someone precious to you here?" Aerith asked.

"How did you-" Kai began. "I get it. My memories are connecting with yours, telling you what's happened. But yeah, a friend of mine's in this town, I mean Castle Oblivion." he nodded.

"Castle Oblivion? What're you talking about? There are no castles in Traverse Town!" Yuffie blinked.

"That's not what I mean." Kai sighed.

"Kai and the team probably have their own questions, right?" Aerith suggested.

"Yeah, we did just arrive here. We'll take a look around." Max nodded.

"Take a look, but there are still Heartless around. They'll be no problem for you." Leon replied.

"So you know we can fight!" Ray grinned.

"Can't say I remember, but I'm starting to believe." he shrugged.

* * *

They soon met an old friend, Cid, the owner of the Gummi shop. "Whaddya know! It's Kai, Ray and Max!" he beamed. "Hang on, what am I saying? I don't even know you." he blinked. "But you **do** look like a Kai, Ray and Max, with the wacky hair and odd clothes..." he added.

"That's OK, Cid. They **are** our names." Max grinned.

"You've heard of me, huh?" Cid smiled. "Can't say I'm surprised." he added.

"Anyways, we were hoping you could help us out. A friend of ours is supposed to be in this castle, I mean town. Any ideas?" Kai asked.

"Your friend? All this town's seen lately is Heartless. Can't go anywhere without being attacked!" he replied. "This plaza's the worst. Word is a giant Heartless appears when that bell rings. If you value your lives, get outta here when the gettin's good." Cid continued. He walked off.

"We should probably leave." Goofy suggested.

"But don't you want to see the Heartless?" Ray asked.

"**No** we **don't**!" Donald cried. Suddenly they heard a loud noise. "The bell!" Donald yelped.

"Watch out, you three!" Goofy called.

They drew their weapons as the Heartless, the Guard Armour appeared. After a long and harsh fight, the Guard Armour was defeated.


	5. Meet Axel

CHAPTER 5: Meet Axel

They soon met up with Leon, Aerith, Cid and Yuffie. "So your friend's not here?" Yuffie asked.

"No. I don't think we'll find him in this town." Kai replied.

"But we're sure he's somewhere in this castle." Max added.

"Castle? You're sayin' this town's in some sort of castle? That's rich!" Cid chuckled.

"They could be right, Cid. We may not know what's going on, but Kai, Ray and Max do. They can see that reality's bigger than just our world." Leon announced.

"I wish we were that sure." Ray admitted.

"You'll be fine, guys. No matter what shape reality takes, you'll handle it. Even though I don't remember you, I know you in my heart." Leon smiled.

"Leon..." Kai began.

"Take care, guys." Yuffie grinned.

"I'm a little lost, but good luck anyway." Cid nodded. They walked off.

The five went to leave, when Kai heard footsteps. He turned to see Aerith. "What's wrong?" Kai asked.

"I don't have all the answers, but there's something I have to tell you." she began. "You, Ray and Max's memories created this whole town, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's what the guy who gave me the card told me." Kai nodded.

"If it's true, then this town's only a figment of your mind...and we are too." she explained sadly.

"That can't be true! You're standing right in front of me! The town's also here!" he exclaimed.

"But I'm not me. I can't remember the things I should, and sense things that I shouldn't." Aerith replied. "Beware of your memories, Kai. In this journey, you'll see more illusions. Sometimes, your memory's shadows will try to deceive you and lead you astray." she added.

"So, what does that mean?" Kai asked.

"I'm sorry, but I'm just another illusion. The truth's beyond my reach." she sighed.

"Don't say things like that. It's too depressing..." Kai begged.

"Stay strong, Kai. Never let the illusions distract you from what's truly important." Aerith smiled.

"OK, then." Kai nodded.

"Kai!" Donald called.

"You ready to go?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a second." he nodded. "I'd better get going." he began. He turned. "Aerith? Aerith!" he called. But she was gone.

"What about her?" Donald asked.

"Where'd she go? I was just talking to her!" he blinked.

"Aerith went off with Leon and the others, remember?" Ray called.

"Huh?" Kai blinked.

"You were starting to worry us, standing by yourself." Max added.

"So, is this what she meant...?" Kai thought.

* * *

Once they left the town, they made their way to the next level. The man in the black coat was waiting for them. "So, did you enjoy seeing your memories?" he asked.

"Yeah, it was great seeing everyone. But what do you want with us?" Kai demanded.

"What do you have to give?" he replied.

Another man appeared. He had green eyes and spiked red hair with face markings under his eyes. "Hello!" he grinned.

"What do you want?" the robed man asked.

"Quit hogging the heroes!" his companion laughed.

"Maybe you'd like to test them." the robed man began, tossing his companion a card.

"Maybe I will." he replied. The robed man vanished. "My show now, Keyblade masters! Who am I? Oh, I'm Axel. Got it memorized?" the red-haired man grinned.

"Er...yeah." Max nodded.

"Good. You're quick learners. So kids, now that we're getting to know each other..." Axel began. He summoned his weapons, a pair of chakrams. The team stood ready to fight. "Don't go dying on me now!" Axel grinned.

* * *

After the battle, the team obtained a card. "Another one? What does it do?" Goofy asked.

"It kinda looks like the one you used to make Traverse Town." Jiminy explained.

"Looks like we need to use it to keep going." Kai concluded.

"That's right." a voice replied.

"Axel!" Donald exclaimed.

"Did you honestly think after that introduction, I'd give up so easily?" he grinned.

"You were just testing us." Ray replied, the team's weapons drawn.

"And you passed. Congrats, Kai, Ray and Max!" Axel smiled. "You're now ready to take on Castle Oblivion." he announced. "You'll need to follow your memories. Trust what you can remember and look for what you've forgotten. And then you'll find somebody very special." he added.

"Do you mean King Mickey and Tyson?" Goofy asked.

"You'll just have to give it more thought about whom it is who's **most** important to you. Our most precious memories lie deep within our hearts that they can't be reached. But I'm sure you three can find yours." Axel smiled.

"Why us?" Max asked.

"You've lost sight of the light within darkness. And it looks like you've forgotten that you forgot." Axel explained.

"The light within the darkness?" Kai blinked.

"Need a hint?" Axel grinned, outstretching his hand.

"Do you need it, Kai?" Ray asked.

"I'll figure it out myself. And if you get in my way-" Kai began, ready to fight.

"Don't worry Kai! We'll protect you!" Donald promised, jumping on front of him.

"Good answer. What I'd expect from one of the five Keyblade masters." Axel smiled. "But be warned. When your sleeping memories have awakened, you may not be who you are now." he added. He teleported away.


	6. Return To Halloween Town

CHAPTER 6: Return to Halloween Town

The team were on the next floor. "Hmmm..." Jiminy began.

"What's the matter, Jiminy?" Kai asked.

"Well, what Axel said worries me. What did he mean by _"You may not be who you are now"_?" Jiminy sighed.

"I may not be who I am? How could I be someone else?" Kai blinked.

"Of course. But you can't be too careful." Jiminy nodded.

"Yep. Anything can happen in Castle Obliv-Oblivi-Obliv-" Goofy began.

"Oblivion!" Donald finished.

"Oh, now I remember!" Goofy exclaimed.

"We'll be fine. Whatever they're cooking up, we can take it on together!" Ray grinned.

"Yeah, like that weird castle we explored together, the one with all those creepy machines." Goofy nodded.

"When was that?" Max asked.

"I can't remember." Donald shrugged. "What was it called again?" he asked.

"I think it was Holla-Holly-Holler...Sorry, I can't remember either." Goofy sighed.

"Quit kidding around!" Donald cried.

"Are you sure you didn't make up, Goofy?" Kai asked.

"Don't think so." Goofy replied. Ray selected the card for the next level, and they continued on.

* * *

They soon arrived in Halloween Town. They had changed into Halloween style clothes. They looked around. "This place is creepy! It's probably crawling with ghosts!" Goofy gulped.

"There's nothing to be scared of. You can't be scared if you know what's going to happen!" Ray replied.

"Not even a real ghost can scare us. If they looked at us, **they'd** be the ones scared!" Donald added.

"You think so?" Max asked.

"Trust me!" Donald replied. He walked to the fountain when a skeleton jumped out of the water.

"Welcome to Halloween Town!" he announced.

"Aaagh! A ghost!" Donald screamed. The team drew their weapons.

"That had to be the best scream I've heard in ages! If you're that easily scared, we'll have a great time!" the skeleton beamed. "Wait, I haven't introduced myself. My name's Jack Skellington and this is Halloween Town. Around here, I'm known as the Pumpkin King!" he announced. "So, if you're looking for a scary good time, you're in the right place!" he added.

"Well, we're not!" Donald shrieked.

"Well, too bad. We've got a problem in Halloween Town at the moment." Jack shrugged.

"What kind of problem is it?" Kai asked.

"Well..." Jack began. Suddenly Heartless surrounded them. "Like this!" he exclaimed.

After the battle, Donald jumped up and down angrily. "What's the matter with you? Why'd you call the Heartless?" he demanded.

"I didn't call for them. I only knew when they'd show up. I want to get rid of them." Jack replied. "They attack people instead of scaring them." he explained.

"But why are they here?" Kai asked.

"I was about to ask Dr Finkelstein the same question." Jack replied. "I'm on my way to his laboratory. Follow me!" he added.

"What should we do, Kai?" Max asked.

"I guess we should go with him." Kai replied.

"I've got a bad feeling about this. What if he's going to lead us to the Heartless?" Ray asked.

"CORRECT! You saw through my plan!" Jack shouted.

"Waaaagh!" Ray cried.

"I'm only kidding. Now let's go." Jack grinned.

* * *

They soon arrived in the laboratory. "This is Dr Finkelstein. He's a genius!" Jack announced.

"Yes, but maybe I'm TOO smart! I've created something terrible!" Dr Finkelstein exclaimed.

"What?" Max asked.

"Have you ever thought about the power of "true memories"?" Dr Finkelstein asked.

"True memories?" Kai blinked.

"Our hearts are filled with memories, my boy, but not all of them are the truth. The heart doesn't work like a recording device." Dr Finkelstein began. "Even our most important memories change in time. They either fade or warp, leaving a shadow of what we'd hoped to remember." he explained.

"Is that what's happening to me, Max and Kai?" Ray asked.

"It happens to all of us. Some memories become ugly, while others become more beautiful. If we could remember our true memories, we'd see the world in a different view. So, I created a potion made of forget-me-nots that can bring back our true memories." Dr Finkelstein continued.

"And did it work?" Kai asked.

"Well, that's the problem..." Dr Finkelstein began.

"As soon as he took a smell of it, Heartless started to appear!" Jack explained.

"Sounds like the experiment failed to me." Donald shrugged.

"No! My research is always flawless! I have to check the potion to find out what had gone wrong!" Dr Finkelstein exclaimed. He wheeled over to the table. "Sadly, its vanished." he sighed.

"Maybe someone took it?" Ray suggested.

"Sally must've done it!" Dr Finkelstein realised. "Jack, find her and get back that potion!" he ordered.

"Leave it to me!" he nodded.

"Can we come along?" Max asked.

"Why?" Jack blinked.

"Well, I'm interested in finding out what these "true memories" the doctor's talking about are." he explained.

"Excellent! Let's find Sally!" Jack grinned. They headed off.

Eventually, the team had found Sally. She had indeed been holding the potion, but then Jack's nemesis Oogie Boogie stole it, which had lead to the team chasing after him.

* * *

The team soon found Oogie Boogie. He was holding Dr Finkelstein's potion. "Hand over the potion, Oogie!" Jack yelled, as the others stood ready for battle.

"You just don't know when to quit! All this running's made me thirsty!" he grinned.

"No!" Jack cried.

"Yes!" Oogie smirked. They watched him drink the potion.

"Uh-oh..." Kai began.

"Mmm, tastes good!" Oogie laughed. "W-What is this?" he asked, suddenly sounding panicky. "Something's wrong! Something inside me...Something scary!" he cried.

"What's happening?" Jack asked.

"No! Get away from me!" Oogie screamed. After the battle, they returned to the lab.

* * *

"Blast that Oogie Boogie! He drank nearly the entire potion! All that's left are a few drops!" Dr Finkelstein exclaimed.

"Hey, maybe you should ask if you, Ray and Kai can drink the last few drops, Max." Goofy suggested.

"I'd better not." Max replied, shaking his head.

"You don't want it? That's a shame. It would've been an excellent experiment." Dr Finkelstein sighed.

"Doctor..." Sally began.

"But don't you want to see your true memories?" Jack blinked.

"Well, yeah, more than I did before. But there's this guy we met named Axel. Kai, Ray and I promised we'd find the answers ourselves." Max explained.

"I don't understand it. When I breathed in the potion, the Heartless appeared, and when Oogie drank it, he became consumed in fear. What does it mean?" Dr Finkelstein wondered.

"It means the potion was a failed experiment." Sally replied.

"No! I'm never wrong! Oogie must've seen his true memories!" the doctor protested. "Hmm...Maybe true memories unbalance the heart and cause unpredictable events to happen!" he suggested.

"Then what about us? What'll happen when our true memories awaken?" Kai asked.

"Maybe something more frightening...But this is only a guess. I'll need to research it more." Dr Finkelstein replied, and went off to research.

"What's the matter? Did the doctor's theory scare you?" Jack asked.

"A little, I guess." Ray replied.

"Good! Feelings of fear and doubt are signs of strong hearts. They push your hearts, go in all sorts of directions and take chances! Without them, you'd lose your zest for life, and your taste for fear. And that would spoil my fun, believe me!" Jack smiled.

"Thanks. We'll be sure to remember that, Jack." Kai nodded.

"Then best of luck, gentlemen! May you always love to be scared!" Jack exclaimed. The five ran off.


End file.
